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    Borough of Guildford

    From Wikipedia - Reading time: 10 min
    See Guildford for the main town in the borough

    Guildford
    Borough and non-metropolitan district
    Guildford Castle in Guildford, the borough's main settlement.
    Guildford Castle in Guildford, the borough's main settlement.
    Motto(s): 
    Fortiter et Fideliter
    (Latin: Bravely and faithfully)
    Guildford shown within Surrey
    Guildford shown within Surrey
    Coordinates: 51°14′46″N 0°33′07″W / 51.246°N 0.552°W / 51.246; -0.552
    Sovereign state United Kingdom
    Constituent country England
    RegionSouth East England
    Ceremonial county Surrey
    Established1 April 1974
    Administrative HQGuildford
    Government
     • TypeNon-metropolitan district
     • BodyGuildford Borough Council
     • MPsZöe Franklin (Guildford)
    Jeremy Hunt (Godalming and Ash)
    Chris Coghlan (Dorking and Horley)
    Al Pinkerton (Surrey Heath)
    Will Forster (Woking)
    Area
     • Total
    		105 sq mi (271 km2)
     • Rank130th
    Population
     (2022)
     • Total
    		145,673
     • Rank153rd
     • Density1,390/sq mi (538/km2)
    Ethnicity (2021)
    [1]
     • Ethnic groups
    List
    • 86.9% White
    • 6.7% Asian
    • 3.1% Mixed
    • 1.9% other
    • 1.5% Black
    Religion (2021)
    [1]
     • Religion
    List
    • 48.2% Christianity
    • 39.7% no religion
    • 7% not stated
    • 2.2% Islam
    • 1.4% Hinduism
    • 0.7% Buddhism
    • 0.5% other
    • 0.3% Judaism
    • 0.2% Sikhism
    Time zoneUTC+0 (Greenwich Mean Time)
     • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (British Summer Time)
    ONS code43UD (ONS)
    E07000209 (GSS)
    OS grid referenceTQ0105550700

    The Borough of Guildford is a local government district with borough status in Surrey, England. With around half of the borough's population, Guildford is its largest settlement and only town, and is where the council is based.

    The borough includes part of the Surrey Hills, a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The neighbouring districts are Surrey Heath, Woking, Elmbridge, Reigate and Banstead, Waverley and Rushmoor.

    History

    [edit]

    The town of Guildford was an ancient borough, with its first known charter dating from 1257.[2] It was reformed to become a municipal borough in 1836 under the Municipal Corporations Act 1835, which standardised the way many boroughs operated across the country. The borough boundaries were enlarged several times, notably in 1836, 1933 and 1954.[3][4]

    The modern district was formed on 1 April 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, covering the area of two former districts, which were both abolished at the same time:[5][6]

    • Guildford Municipal Borough
    • Guildford Rural District

    Guildford's borough status transferred to the new district from its creation, allowing the chair of the council to take the title of mayor, continuing Guildford's series of mayors dating back to at least the fifteenth century.[7][2]

    Governance

    [edit]
    Guildford Borough Council
    Logo
    Type
    Type
    Non-metropolitan district
    Leadership
    Mayor
    Howard Smith,
    Labour
    since 7 May 2025[8]
    Leader
    Julia McShane,
    Liberal Democrat
    since 11 October 2022
    Chief Executive
    Pedro Wrobel
    since 8 April 2024
    Structure
    Seats48 councillors
    Political groups
    Administration (25)
      Liberal Democrats (25)
    Other parties (23)
      Conservative (10)
      Residents (7)
      Greenbelt Group (3)
      Labour (3)
    Length of term
    		4 years
    Elections
    Last election
    		4 May 2023
    Next election
    		6 May 2027
    Meeting place
    Millmead House, Millmead, Guildford, GU2 4BB
    Website
    www.guildford.gov.uk

    Guildford Borough Council provides district-level services. County-level services are provided by Surrey County Council.[9] Parts of the borough are covered by civil parishes, which form a third tier of local government for their areas.[10]

    The council owns significant heritage assets that include monuments such as Guildford Castle, as well museums, art collections and civic regalia.[11]

    The council has shared a chief executive with neighbouring Waverley Borough Council since 2021.[12][13]

    Political control

    [edit]

    The council has been under Liberal Democrat majority control since the 2023 election.[14]

    Political control of the old municipal borough council from 1836 to 1974 was as follows:[15]

    Party in control Years
    Conservative 1836–1875
    No overall control 1875–1877
    Conservative 1877–1879
    No overall control 1879–1880
    Conservative 1880–1883
    No overall control 1883–1885
    Conservative 1885–1888
    Liberal 1888–1889
    Conservative 1889–1892
    No overall control 1892–1892
    Liberal 1892–1894
    No overall control 1894–1895
    Liberal 1895–1898
    No overall control 1898–1899
    Independent 1899–1957
    No overall control 1957–1965
    Conservative 1965–1972
    No overall control 1972–1974

    Political control of the modern borough council since the 1974 reforms has been as follows:[16]

    Party in control Years
    Conservative 1974–1991
    No overall control 1991–1995
    Liberal Democrats[17] 1995–1997
    No overall control 1997–2003
    Conservative 2003–2019
    No overall control 2019–2023
    Liberal Democrats 2023–present

    Leadership

    [edit]
    Further information: Mayor of Guildford

    The role of mayor is largely ceremonial in Guildford. Political leadership is instead provided by the leader of the council. The leaders since 2010 have been:

    Councillor Party From To
    Tony Rooth[18] Conservative May 2010 11 Oct 2012
    Stephen Mansbridge[19] Conservative 11 Oct 2012 19 Oct 2015
    Paul Spooner[20][21] Conservative 9 Dec 2015 May 2019
    Caroline Reeves[22][23] Liberal Democrats 15 May 2019 22 Sep 2020
    Joss Bigmore[23][24] Residents for Guildford and Villages 6 Oct 2020 22 Sep 2022
    Julia McShane[25][26] Liberal Democrats 11 Oct 2022

    Composition

    [edit]

    Following the 2023 election the composition of the council was:[27][28]

    Party Councillors
    Liberal Democrats 25
    Conservative 10
    Residents for Guildford and Villages 7
    Guildford Greenbelt Group 3
    Labour 3
    Total 48

    The next election is due in 2027.[29]

    Elections

    [edit]
    See also: Guildford Borough Council elections

    Since the last boundary changes in 2023 the council has comprised 48 councillors representing 21 wards, with each ward electing one, two or three councillors. Elections are held every four years.[30]

    Members of Parliament

    [edit]
    See also: List of Parliamentary constituencies in Surrey

    The borough straddles five parliamentary constituencies:

    Constituency Member of Parliament Political party
    Godalming and Ash Jeremy Hunt Conservative
    Guildford Zöe Franklin Liberal Democrats
    Surrey Heath Al Pinkerton
    Woking Will Forster
    Dorking and Horley Chris Coghlan

    Premises

    [edit]
    Guildhall: Used for council's annual meetings.

    The council is based at Millmead House on Millmead in Guildford. The original house dates from the late seventeenth century, with extensive modern additions to the rear.[31] Prior to the local government reorganisation of 1974, the building had been the headquarters of Guildford Rural District Council.[32] The council's annual meeting when new mayors are appointed each May is held at Guildford Guildhall.[33]

    Demography

    [edit]

    Guildford has the second largest population of Surrey's eleven districts (based on census statistics, only 600 residents behind Reigate and Banstead).[34] Approximately half of the borough's population live in the town of Guildford.

    Parishes

    [edit]

    The central part of the borough, corresponding to the pre-1974 borough and covering the majority of the Guildford built-up area, is an unparished area.[10][35] This area includes Bellfields, Boxgrove, Onslow Village, Park Barn, Stoughton, Westborough, and the (former) villages of Burpham, and Merrow.

    The rest of the borough is covered by civil parishes:[36]

    • Albury
    • Artington
    • Ash
    • Ash Vale
    • Compton
    • East Clandon
    • East Horsley
    • Effingham
    • Normandy
    • Ockham
    • Pirbright
    • Puttenham
    • Ripley
    • Seale and Sands
    • Send
    • Shackleford
    • Shalford
    • Shere
    • St Martha
    • Tongham
    • Wanborough
    • West Clandon
    • West Horsley
    • Wisley
    • Worplesdon
    Map of Guildford Borough showing its parts: Guildford town and civil parishes which provide an additional layer of government.

    Notes and references

    [edit]

    Notes

    References

    1. ^ a b UK Census (2021). "2021 Census Area Profile – Guildford Local Authority (E07000209)". Nomis. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 5 January 2024.
    2. ^ a b Malden, H. E., ed. (1911). A History of the County of Surrey: Volume 3. London: Victoria County History. pp. 560–570. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    3. ^ Municipal Corporations Act. 1835. p. 456. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    4. ^ "Guildford Municipal Borough". A Vision of Britain through Time. GB Historical GIS / University of Portsmouth. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    5. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan District (Definition) Order 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1972/2039, retrieved 12 January 2024
    6. ^ "The English Non-metropolitan Districts (Names) Order 1973", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 1973/551, retrieved 3 January 2024
    7. ^ "District Councils and Boroughs". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). 28 March 1974. Retrieved 4 December 2021.
    8. ^ Buchan, Craig (8 May 2025). "Drummer on 80s hit Turning Japanese named mayor". BBC News. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
    9. ^ "Local Government Act 1972", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 1972 c. 70, retrieved 31 May 2023
    10. ^ a b "Election Maps". Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
    11. ^ "Guildford Borough Council Statement of Accounts 2011-12, pp 4, 12 and 79". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 November 2012.
    12. ^ Coady Stemp, Emily (1 November 2021). "New £150,000 joint chief executive set to be appointed to lead Waverley and Guildford councils". Farnham Herald. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
    13. ^ Coady-Stemp, Emily; Caulfield, Chris (22 December 2023). "Guildford Borough Council appoints new chief executive". BBC News. Retrieved 22 July 2024.
    14. ^ "New borough council administration kicks off by re-electing Lib Dem Leader". Guildford Dragon. 18 May 2023.
    15. ^ Ottewill, Roger (2005). Guildford Borough Council: A Compendium of Municipal Election Results, 1835–1974. Plymouth: LGC Elections Centre. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    16. ^ "Compositions Calculator". The Elections Centre. University of Exeter. Retrieved 26 November 2024. (Put "Guildford" in search box to see specific results.)
    17. ^ "Leading Lib Dem couple quit party". Surrey Live. 21 February 1997. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    18. ^ "Tony Rooth resigns as Guildford council leader". Surrey Live. 19 September 2012. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
    19. ^ Edwards, Mark (19 October 2015). "Stephen Mansbridge resignation 'the right thing to do' according to opposition parties". Surrey Live. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
    20. ^ "Council minutes, 9 December 2015". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    21. ^ McKeon, Christopher (3 May 2019). "Guildford local election results 2019: Lib Dems and Independents hand Tories worst loss ever". Surrey Live. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    22. ^ "Council minutes, 15 May 2019". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    23. ^ a b "Council minutes, 6 October 2020". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    24. ^ Coady-Stemp, Emily (23 September 2022). "Guildford Borough Council leader Joss Bigmore quits as locals 'looking for new approach in politics'". Surrey Live. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
    25. ^ "Council minutes, 11 October 2022". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
    26. ^ Giles, Martin (12 October 2022). "New Guildford Council Leader Elected In Planned Handover". BBC News. Retrieved 1 July 2023.
    27. ^ "Local elections 2023: live council results for England". The Guardian.
    28. ^ "Guildford election results in full as Liberal Democrats take control". SurreyLive. Retrieved 6 May 2023.
    29. ^ "Guildford". Local Councils. Thorncliffe. Retrieved 31 May 2025.
    30. ^ "The Guildford (Electoral Changes) Order 2022", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, SI 2022/1178, retrieved 12 January 2024
    31. ^ Historic England. "Millmead House, Millmead (Grade II) (1188094)". National Heritage List for England. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
    32. ^ "The Rural District Council of Guildford". London Gazette (33887): 7597. 29 November 1932. Retrieved 14 July 2022. ...at the Rural District Council Offices, Millmead House, Guildford...
    33. ^ "Council minutes, 10 May 2023". Guildford Borough Council. Retrieved 19 July 2023.
    34. ^ List of English districts by population
    35. ^ "Surrey: Diagram showing administrative boundaries, 1971". National Library of Scotland. Ordnance Survey. Retrieved 12 January 2024.
    36. ^ Surrey County Council Archived 26 September 2011 at the Wayback Machine
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